Folding wagon-top.



L. D. PANGBORN.

FOLDING WAGON TOP.

APPLICATION FILED xn 1a, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Dec. 1,1908.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

V5.5. munged N STATES LEO DAVID PVANGBORN, OF'MENOMINEE, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO OF MENOMINEE, MICHIGAN.`

PTENT OFFICE.

MARSHALL B. LLoYD,

sonoma lweeen-'1:01a

yN0. 9.051671.- V

-PatentedJDem -1, 190.8.

110.1111 whom it may -cancemz Alieitknovvn.that I, Lao DAVID PANoBoRN, a citizen of tthe UnitedStates', 'and aresident of- Menaminee, Menominee county, Michii., .havdinvented centain new andI useful pnovements in Eolding Wagon -rTops,-. -ofhwhich the following is a full, clear, and Vexact'description, suchlas will enable .others skilled in. thea-nt =te Vwhich it ap'pentainsA t0 .1.oy make and use thejsame. I

-My invention relates to vehicle tops andn hasspecialgreference:to folding topsor covers 'forwagons l (Dnmany VWagons'such .as light and heavy deliveryr -vvagons, tops are objectionable at times; furthe reason that they inter-v fera. with theeasy; .loading of. the wagons, butat `other times `they are needed to protact the .load's. In many cases it is'the cus-' 12e, torn. to em loy removable tops `whichare aced'ont e wagons "when the weather is. inclement .on threatening; lbut this is-l obg jectionahla-hecansefthe tops.. are not always -m .lace when needed; an Ehe object. of my invention is to provide animpnoved ite for lwagonsofy various kinds, which top sssha be constructed insuch mannerfas to becapable of covering antor allof theiwagonfbody whenthere islneej of the same,

,ed bt which `u nlikeother wagon tops, shall be collapsible 4and hence adapted-tojbel kept ,upon the wagon in collapsed or folded cond 1tion,when not required lto protect the eontentstofthevvagon. I

- In brief, my dpujrpose'isto provide arefadily collapsible. an snuglyy foldablre top fory use upon commercialwagons and the ike.

' A@ particular object' of the invention is to fa. foldable or collapsible wagon .top

im of,Y simgle. and. economical .construction which y be-durable; which'shall present Lancet4 and attractive appearance in both folded and openedconditions; and, which maryv be .Qperatd Withe/ase from thev drivers 1P-gef hereinafter-s 1th these obJects-'ln view my invention equi l'with horizontal rails or guide'- in 1 com mation with bows having their lower ends'lidably iixed uponthe .wagon body by said rails, one .of said bows being secured to the w on body,

aetweemadjacent bows and adapt-v .elearncssn being shown-with the canvas parallel motion devices ing the same to be folded, and a top pro r 0f.-:

ilexible fabric, fastened u on/ saidows; `And further and particularly my invention consists in a pairof rai1s-or guidesffor attaelhment to the sides -ofy a wagon body, in com bination with a bo'w or top :frame antsecured to the forward ends ofsaid-ra' s, 4other. bows havin anti-'friction members r= at l.their lower-endsvv'r erebythy-.are slidablyattachedto said rails, parallel motion devices. con nectin said bnws andadapted to hold :the same istended, and a top proper of readily foldable fabric, fastened uponsaid gbows. My invention .also consists in various. novel details of construction Vand incombn 70 nations 4of parts, all as hereinafter-desoribdd z'- and particularly pointed out'in theclaims.

' The invention be'more readly understood -by reference to the accompanying .drawings forming a part-of this .specification andinwhch: i

.Figure .f1 is a side .elevation .of a wagon body. eqnipped witha foldable-to fembodye ing my invention, the saine, for t e sake :off

other fabric removed; Fi .2 is ajlike-sideele vationfona reduced lso e,.shovwi ng the top partiall folded; Ei 3 is a vertical section on the 'n X-X 0 2'; Fig. 4

largedvertieal, transverse, sectionalj=detailrof- 85.-'

one of the :rails or guides and -thelowerrendiorfoot -of-abow.; Fig. 5 is anenlarged detail'of-I the lower junction of one. oftheparallel mo-I v tion devices; .and Fi 6' is a sectQnal-detail on theline'Y-Y of fig.f5. 1-

In the accompanying draw' y l -Lhave v illustrated only one form of my noi'rel Wa on I top and. it should be. understood'that-: may-be varionslyinodiied Without departing frlom'thes irit of the. in'.v.en sion. In drawings, represents a .viva-e011body-'ofthe` kind usually .employed by.- butchersfand' grt leers. 'Theseat', B., is -prlaced atthoferwval-d-vv end, leaving the body ceto receive itsA load of*V goods. At A:L -point .just back-.of-,the seatfI= place the first'bow, 1, andfastenits lower. ends, 1f tothesides ofthe wagon body. 2- 1- 2` represent otherbow like the bow, 1 fbv arranged thatthey may. bn mond wwrd. and fnomthe same.` m5 For supporting the movable bows Iemf Y loy .two rails or guides, 3fF-3, whereto. theA ower ends of the= movable/bows are con-- nested by metallic =feet or anti-friction de` l' theirl outer sides.

preferably formed from sheet metal of `a -proper thickness and are channel-like `in cross section. They are, however, unlike the ordinary channel bar, in that they are provided with inwardly extending flanges, 3. n other words the rails or guides' are in the form of tubes which are rectangular in cross section and which contain narrow slots in These rails are fastened to the sides of the wagon by a number of short bolts, 3, and extend from'points back of the seat to the rear end of the wagon.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I-prefer to fasten the first bow to the rails, 3-.3, rather than directly to the sides of the wagon body, 'the entire wagon top being thus. made com- I plete in itself and applicable as such ,to any wagonofI approximately the same width.-

When the ralls ,have been secured to the sides of the wagon 'the bow, 1, is fixed in verticalosition by means of'short braces, 1, attac ed either to the rails or to the wagon body.v The means which I preferably emloy for'connecting the lower ends of the ows, 2,.with the rails, consist in small antifxiction rollers, .4, which iit the channeled rails. Each roller is revoluble upon a stud, 5, extending inwardly fromfa bow; and it will be.. seen that' beside preventing friction'al resistance to the movement of the bows, the rollers also revent vertical movement of the bows on t e body;- One advantage of this structure is that it presents'a lows the canvas ,top to be thev extreme lower ends of the bows.'.

4 The parallel motion devices before alluded to are` arranged between adjacent bows throughoutfthe structure and atl opposite sides of the lfolding top', I prefer to use bent wood bows',whereas the parallel motion devices are made of flat metal bars., Each parallel motion device comprises two Ytoggle l vlevers 15 and'16- i)oined b `a vertical link, 17',-

with t e sides of the con" The ends of the toggle levers,

which "is parall'e nected bows. 15- 15, 16-16, are pivote'd :to the 4,inner sides of the bows-by plnsor rivets '15 '16 With vsuch devices at each side, it is obvious that the connected bows will be held parallel with the ri idly fixed bow, 1', in either foldedV vor extende positions.l The bows are joined Itogether'in series and when the parallel mo- .tion devices are raised, the movable bows may all :be folded 'or collapsed against the front bow, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

When the parallel motion devices are o cned,

A the bows will beheld in their extende posidevices beyond straight lines. When it is desired to fold the to the driver reaches back from the s eatan grasps the adjacent arallel motion devices and .lifting .them vraws the' movable bowsforward. After shutting the first movable bow against the lapses the next section ofthe top and thus on tothe end. 'An suitable means may be employed for holdlngsth'e top in folded condition. The cover or. top proper, 19, is made and is fastened to the several bows.

which the hood, 21, of fabric, is attached.

As various modifications of my Vinvention will readily suggest themselves tozone skilled in the art I do not confine the invention to the specific constructions hereinshown and describedf' Having thus described my invention, l

Patent;

1. A vehicle body, in combination" with channel-like flanged rails fixed to the sides of the vehicle bodyand presenting their slotted sidesv outwardly, a iixedv bow, movable bows having anti-friction .members 'at their lower ends, said membersfbein movable in respective rails,'a top proper of exible fabric and means connecting the movable, bows to gether and to the fixed bow, yforholding the stantial/ly as descri ed. 2. 'A folding vehicl top, comprising channel-like rails ,havin -vertica y dls osed flanges forming narrow slo'tsin the si es of the. rails, in combination with a bow fixed to inner sides of saidirails to said bow and see curing the sainev in' perpendicular relation v other bows movably connected to said fixed bow, studs at the lower ends of the movable bows and rollers'on the studs, within said railsisubstantially as described.V l

.3. A folding vehicle-top, comprising two channel-like flanged rails, substantially rectangular in cross section and having slots in their sides, to be fastened upon the sides of a vehicle, ody, in combinatlonvwith a bow, means or securing said bow-in upright position uponrsaid ralls, a pluralityof movable bows, metallic feet extend' the lowerends of said mova le bows, fittin saidrails and 'movablethereim and paralle specified. 4-

4. A vehicle body in cQmbination with channel` rails havingl'aterally opening longitudinalslots, fastened to the .sides of said Pnear their lower ends with inwardly extending anti-friction members adapted for longitudinal movement within said rails, a tcp or 20, represents a foldable .front bow, to

fixed bow, the driver in like manner col-' of lexible'fabric, such, as painted canvas claim as new and desire to secureby-Letters 'movable bows pri lit when distended, subsaid rails, struts or braces extending from ther i io inwardly from j 'l motion devices connecting said bows in series, vsubstantially as' and for the purpose.

body, axed bow, movable bows provided ,-gowff a cover of exible `fimterial, and Arneans for -In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set holdin said movable bows upr' ht and in my hand, this 9th day ofMay, 1907, in the 10 paralllebrelation'z eonprisgng a p uraliy of presence of tw'o subscribing'Witrlesses.- togge raoes'ex'ten ing etween sai ows s A ,5 and havingtheir ends pivoted thereto, and 1 LEO DAVID PANGBORN' vertical strengthenn links hav' their Witnesses: ends pivoted tofthe loints Tof said races, JOHN R. LEFEVRE,- substantiallvy asidescrlbed. M. SIMON. 

